Screenforce Switzerland Study: TV Is Effective Throughout the Entire Sales Funnel
The Screenforce Switzerland 2026 study shows that TV is not only relevant for brand building but is also used strategically throughout the entire sales funnel—despite growing media fragmentation.
Screenforce Switzerland Study: TV Remains a Key Success Factor in the Media Mix
The Screenforce Switzerland 2026 Study provides in-depth insights into the strategic role of TV in the Swiss media mix. The study, conducted by the Institute for Communication and Marketing (IKM) at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts on behalf of Screenforce Switzerland, focuses on qualitative insights into the day-to-day work of strategic media planners—and its conclusions speak for themselves: despite growing fragmentation, TV remains a key strategic factor.
Following the presentation at Screenforce Day 2026, Screenforce Switzerland published the full results of the study. Methodologically, the study relied on a qualitative focus group study involving strategic media planners from Swiss media agencies. The discussion was based on a specific campaign briefing, which the participants used to explain their thoughts on planning a video campaign. The results were scientifically evaluated using qualitative content analysis.
TV has an impact beyond brand building
One of the study’s key findings is that strategic media planners use TV not only for brand building, but also specifically for activation and sales promotion. TV, therefore, has an impact throughout the entire sales funnel—a finding that puts into perspective the common perception of the medium as purely a branding tool.
At the same time, the study points to a structural weakness: those who focus exclusively on short-term KPIs underestimate the impact of TV. The medium often demonstrates its greatest strength over the long term—and traditional attribution models fail to adequately capture this effect, according to the press release.
Cross-channel measurement remains the biggest challenge
The study identifies measuring the overall media mix as the biggest challenge in day-to-day media planning. The lack of cross-channel measurement standards made it difficult to evaluate the combined impact of TV, connected TV, and digital channels. This finding is likely to come as no surprise to many advertisers and agencies—but it underscores the urgency of establishing uniform measurement systems.
Prof. Dr. Anja Janoschka, who led the study at the IKM at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, summarizes the approach as follows: «With this focus group study, we didn’t want to discuss the future of TV in theoretical terms, but rather to understand how strategic media planners actually make their decisions today. The qualitative approach reveals the reasoning behind budget allocation—and shows that TV continues to play a central strategic role in the Swiss media mix.»
AI as a Planning Tool—Decision-Making Responsibility Remains with Humans
Another key topic of the study is the use of artificial intelligence in media planning. The media planners surveyed see great potential for AI in analysis and planning. However, when it comes to independent budget and buying decisions, strategic responsibility should remain with humans, according to the consensus of the focus groups.
Screenforce is a TV industry initiative in the DACH region that brings together nine TV and video advertising agencies. In Switzerland, Screenforce is spearheaded by the Swiss Television Advertising Association (AGFS)—an alliance of the national advertising agencies Admeira, CH Media, Goldbach Media, and the Electronic Media Interest Group (IGEM). According to its own figures, the initiative represents 95 percent of the TV advertising market in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
A detailed report on the study and a white paper available for free download can be found at: https://www.screenforce.ch
